Payers Support Dental Partners With Stipends, Boost Teledental Care

Payers are supporting struggling dental partners directly through stipends and by covering teledental healthcare options, as in Humana’s recent decision to offer dentists additional funding.

In light of the slow return back to dentists’ offices as COVID-19 restrictions lift, Humana announced that it will be contributing a monthly stipend to its dental partners.

During the healthcare crisis, dental providers have been hard pressed financially. 

A Health Policy Institute (HPI) research brief from April 2020 found that 84.3 percent of dental providers reported that patient volume was less than five percent of their typical visits that week in April. Over two-thirds (68.5 percent) said that their practice took in less than five percent of their usual volume of total collections the same week.

It did not look like things would improve for the dental industry for a while.

The research brief tentatively speculated that, depending on when the US recovers, dental providers could see as high as around 66 percent reduction in spending in 2020 and as high as nearly 32 percent reduction in spending in 2021.

This is largely due to delayed care based on social distancing measures, patient fears, and the challenges that in-person dental care with personal protective equipment would present, HPI clarified.

In response, Humana announced that the payer would be adding $7 to each fully-insured Humana member’s dental claim. Providers will receive the total stipend as a lump sum at the end of each month. The payer is also offering employees 24/7 access to in-network dental.

“Humana understands how the pandemic has impacted so many of the dental practices we work with, and it’s important to us to support them as so many are in the midst of reopening their practices,” said Chris Hunter, president of Humana’s group and military segment. “Our goal with the new actions we are taking is to help ensure that our dental provider partners can afford the Personal Protective Equipment they need to safely treat their patients – our Humana members.”

Humana will be offering the additional funds from June 1 through September 2020.

“As our dental providers focus on delivering the best care possible in a safe environment, we want them to know that Humana supports them,” Hunter added.

“In many cases, these practices are small businesses, not unlike the tens of thousands of small-business customers who have Humana health coverage. The pandemic has adversely impacted so many small businesses, and these actions we’re announcing today represent the latest steps our company is taking to support the people we serve, and those who serve our members.”

Other payers have been supporting in-network dental practices through loans like Delta Dental and by supporting virtual care programs.

The surge in dentists turning to telehealth products due to the coronavirus led industry leaders to call on the FCC to cover teledentistry in the telehealth program. It also resulted in some major payers arranging to cover teledentistry services.

A little over a week before Humana’s announcement in June 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island announced that the payer would be offering 25 percent dental premium credit to fully-insured members. The credit continued through March, April, and May 2020.

The payer also extended its telehealth services for dental needs. It extended access to in-network dentists via teledentistry through July 31, 2020.

While these measures are aimed at lowering costs for patients, they also have positive implications for dental practices that hope to see more patients return to their offices.

While the need is still urgent, dental practices are preparing for a major influx of patients back into their offices as the COVID-19 mitigation efforts subside. In fact, dental practices are at the head of gaining employment among the provider industries, accounting for nearly over 244,000 jobs added between April and May 2020.